Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-01-21
Richmond State, llth.l

Richmond state, HUI
Soon after daylight came this
morning crowds of people began !
to assemble in the neighborhood OF
the Jail, and by 0 O'clock hundreds
of persons had gathered near,
some on house-tops others in the
branches of the tallest trees near
by. All were striving to get
glimpse at the scaffOld, which stood
in the jail yard.
At the Jail there was great
commotion. Those who were per
mitted to get inside were moving
about under great excitement
awaiting for the dreadful hour to
come when the condemned man
would be called upon to pay the
penalty OF the crime of which he
had been found guilty.
A VISITOR FROM FRANKLIN.
Shortly after Q o'clock " man
knocked at the Jail Office door and
asked to see Sergeant Smith. The
Sergeant was in the Ofics at the
time and the man who called to
saa him vas the sheriff Of Franklin
county, who said that he had come
all the way from Franklin county.
Va, to witness this execution, say
iDg that he would probably have to
hang a man named Leffew, for
frantncde. Lefiew had not, he
said, been convicted, but as the
evidence was so dead against him
the sheriff thinks that verdict of
murder in the first degree will be
rendered.
THEY COULD SEE THE sCAFFoLD.
Persons in the trees between the
| Jail and the Medical College could
see the scaffold, and some OF those
who climbed the trees remained
among the branches several hours
awaiting to see the execution. The
finishing touches to the scaftold
were completed this morning at
ten minutes to 10 o'clock. The
last thing to be done was the fixing
of the trap.door. Little noise was
made in doing this work, but if
there had not been such a com
m ,tiOn about the Jail the prisoner
could easily have heard the click OF
the hammer and the noise of the
saw.
THE PRISONERS COUNSEL.
At half-past Q o'clock Mr.. Bev.
T. Crump, of counsel for Gu
verius, arrived at the Jail. He
came down alone. Judge Crump
arrived soon afterwards. Mr.. Bev.
Crump, after waiting a while at the
Office. door, was admitted, and he
went at once to the prisoners cell,
where he had a talk with the con-
demned. Mr.. Crump had not re-
ceived any news from the Governor;
in fact, he did not stop at the
Executive Mansion, but came dl-
rect to the Jail. The Governor did
not make any appointment to meet
any one at Q o'clock this morning,
but said that he would be in his
Office after that hour. While Mr.
Bev. Crump was awaiting to gaiu
admission into the Jail some one in
the crowd close to him asked if he
had any good news for the prisoner
from the Governor. Mr.. CrumI
replied ''No, / have not heard
anything favorable to him.
Messrs. Henry r. Pollard and A
Brown Evans, of counsel for thu
prisoner, are not at this writing
at the Jail. They have not visited
the prisoner for some time, but al
often as they can get 10 Richmond
they stop at the jail and talk will
Cluverius.
THE CROWD GATHERING.
By II o'clock the crowd arOunt
the Jail went up into the thousands
They were mostly colored people
but there were many whites. Jai
Alley was crowded early in tn
day, and there groups Of person
could be seen upon the neighbOrinI
hOusetops. Numbers Of person
made attempts to get inside tn
Jail, bat officers on guard positive
ly declined to admit ahy one wh
had not n pass in the handwritin
of the City Sergeant.
All the morning the inmates o
the Jail occupying cells below tha
r in which Cluverius has so Ion
4 been confined we're as noisy a
usual. Many of them were singin
: and calling to each other in a lou
Q voice, which seemed to disturb th
= condemned man no little. Th
9 noise be has often complained o
. and seemed 10 think that th9 me
IS below him we're indeed hard-hear
!. ed to laugh and talk 40 loud.
6 SINGING TO THE PRISONER.
Capt. Frank Cunningham, VIII